In Fat Chance Lustig writes about sugar, going into much greater detail about what it does in and to our bodies. He also writes about how various foods cause physical addiction, how the food industry keeps us full of junk, how the government helps the food industry ruin our health, why people gain weight, why diets fail, how people can lose weight--he's all over the map. But if you're not enslaved to linear thinking, you may well enjoy this fascinating collection of data and explanations as well as Lustig's sassy attitude.

Don't be put off by the title, by the way. I think it and the cover illustration are both insulting and misleading, and the subtitle makes the book sound like either an extended scold or a dreary set of rules for would-be ascetics. No, no, no. Lustig goes to great lengths to avoid blaming or shaming people who wish they weighed less. His concern is with keeping people--both convex and concave--in good health, and he'd like all of us to join his battle against the Evil Food Empire that is doing us in.

Once you've read Fat Chance you'll be loaded for bear. Michael Moss to the rescue--he'll tell you where to aim your rifle.

Stripped of nature's nutrients and loaded with fat, sugar, and salt, most of today's grocery-store items are engineered to provide the maximum taste thrill for the minimum price so food companies can make maximum profits and give Wall Street maximum satisfaction.

As engineered foods have gained popularly, however, their consumers have gained weight. At the same time, obesity-related diseases have added billions of dollars to health-care costs.

"Obesity is literally an epidemic in this country, and some people's ideas for addressing this public health issue could directly or indirectly affect the entire agriculture industry, from farm to consumer," a Philip Morris vice president, Jay Poole, warned an agricultural economics group.

Yes, that Philip Morris. The cigarette manufacturer, who once fought any publicity indicating that smoking might be bad for you, owned General Foods and Kraft in 1999 when Poole issued that warning, and they acquired Nabisco the next year. The food giants--including not only Philip Morris affiliates but also Kellogg's, Coke, Oscar Mayer, Cargill, Frito-Lay, and Dr. Pepper--had no intention of letting customers slip away to the produce aisle.

They would fight back with whatever weapons they could muster: the science of addiction, misleading labeling, false claims, selling to less regulated countries, advertising to children, relentless lobbying of legislators and government agencies.

I especially enjoyed Moss's repeated observation, after lunching with one food company executive after another, that the executive looked trim and healthy--and would not eat his company's products. You might not want to either after you've read this book.

Oh, and never fear--Salt Sugar Fat is not a downer (unless you read it while drinking Coke and eating Fritos). It reveals, but it doesn't preach. You'll enjoy the stories Moss tells. He hopes you will find it a useful tool for defending yourself when you walk through the grocery store doors.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I just finished Salt, Sugar, Fat and thought it confirmed in amazing detail what so many of us have thought for years--they're trying to get us all addicted! He gained remarkable access to the industry and to many industry insiders, which I think is what made this book so revealing. Great review, LaVonne!

I have to comnfess first off that I have not read Moss's book, as enticing as it might be. However, I am struck by the comment that our processed food are loaded with salt and fat as well as with sugars. I have not noticed that they are loaded with fats - in fact, regretably the oppposite it true. There are no fats, and that is a problem. Sugars are bad, but salt is irrelevant unless you have a high blood pressure problem, and even then cutting out added salt will make only a small difference. Do your research. When I saw fats and salt in the title, I was dismayed. Other than trans fats, all fats are ok, and saturated fats are probably better for us than PUFA's. When we cut out fats in our diets, we typically replace the lost calories with refined carbs, and that is bad, just like sugar.

Having said all this, I do believe that we fed lies big time by the food industry and by government publications for all the reasons Lustig gave. I also believe that the best solution to the problem will involve the law courts. Who will step up to the plate?

Yes, Anonymous2, you are saying exactly what Robert Lustig says about salt and fat, and I have no reason to doubt him. Nevertheless, you should read "Salt Sugar Fat." It's a very well done look at the food industry.